VOLUME
THE
PILOT
NU9IBER
30
Is a Paper Devoted to the Upbuilding of the Sandhill Territory q^^rth Carolina
Address all commimkations to
THE PILOT PRINTING COMPANY, VASS. N. C
FRIDAY, JULY 8, 1927
SUBSCRIPTION $2.«0
Story of Tobacco In
Ashley Heights Section
ABERDEEN AS A
TOBACCO MARKET
Ranks in Its Prices With the
Work Commenced By Gales Johnson Results I Markets in the
In Big- Industry Around The
Aberdeen Territory.
Practic^ Notes
Culture of Tobacco
While Aberdeen is no': very old as
a tobacco marke*.^, and not very big
Experienced Man Gives Instructions As
Sandhill Farm Practices in This
Expanding- Industry.
to
BION H. BUTLER.
W|7ep Gales Johnson left Aberdeen
♦Jmt years ago after several years
of disappointment in his effort to
establish tht growing of tobacco in
Moore and Hoke counties he perhaps
had no idea that the work was mov
ing in the direction of the final set
tlement of the whole region from
Raeford tx) Aberdeen, but if he drives
that way in these days he can be
satisfied that if he did not profit by
his work he left behind him a be
ginning that has since his time here
brought millions of dollars into the
community and will bring a many
bullions more.
It was my pleasure to know John
son when he came first to I^eford,
full of the notion that the Sandhills
of the Aberdeen and Rockfish coun
try would make good tobacco. He
tried to interest the folks in Hoke
county, and met with only fair en
couragement, and one morning I met
him going down to the station nnd
he told me he was done, and was
going home on the train soon due.
Fortunately as he went on down to
ward the railroad I saw Worthy
Johnson near the station and told
him that if we wanted to start to
bacco in the county it was neces-
f to Iceep dales Johnson from
going away, and with Worthy John
son’s help planting tobacco was be-
ii*'
II i»[—if rr-Hill n’^TT*
New Tobacco Warehouse No\^ Building at Aberdeen.
By A SANDHILL GROWER.
Pla!ht Beds.
In selecting land for plant beds,
much caution should be used to get
best results. Moist land should be
sought. A moist loam is good. Loti
of land that looks good for plant
beds will spew in hard freezes, and
should this occur after the plant is
up, the chances are that the plant
will be pulled up and will die. It
is better to sow a few more seed on
this kind of land, say two or three
weeks after the first sowing, so that
if the first seed get killed the second,
sowing might get by the cold weath^^
er and make plants in time.
The best time for sowing tobacco
beds in this section is from January
10th to February 15th. It is better
not to sow all of the beds at one
time. Sowing them a few days apart
might prevent them all getting kill
ed in the sprout just as they were
coming up.
The tobacco beds should he well
disced, then plowed four to six inches
deep. Then all trash and roots should
be raked off. Then sow smooth and'
sow the seed. Any good tobacco fer
tilizer is good for the bedfe. It:
should be from 50 to 75 per cent or- :
ganic nitrogen in the Sandhills. •
Some cotton seed meal is good, but.
not over one pound per yard. For •
vhe average season it is best to sow:
j ^ ’"’‘I*'* 'V ?
S*
i ^ i i ..‘-S .
A June Tobacco Field.
1
.et owing- to the limited acreage that
has been planted so far, it is making
a good record in both the amount of
obacco handled and the prices paid.
A comparison of ijhe last two years
shows a gain of almost 50 per cent
in leaf handled, while the prices last
season«were such as were reached
by only a limited number of other
towns, and by no other place in this
I part of the S ate.
I The old belt prices do noj show
i p as well as Aberdeen, and it is a
aiistake for farmers to take their
tobacco to the markets on the Sou h
Tarolina border as prices there are
lot o compare with those obtainei
here at home. Last year the prices
p iid on he Aberdeen floors w^re al-
lost a dollar a hundred higher than
‘he averages in the State. This year
much floor space will accommodate
more tobacco, the new warehouse
adding 15,000 feet of floor space,
while the Saunders warehouses will
(Please turn to page 10)
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Find the Man In This Field
4fun around Raeford. But the year
was unfavorable, and it wtas not
much of a success. A little lat«r one
day Eugene Ashley, of Glens Falls,
N. Y., who had bought the Leavitt
lands east of Aberdeen, asked me
one day in Raeford what he could
do with the three or four thousand
acres he had secured.
I told him to go and see Gales
Johnson, and we went down to Tom
lipehurch's farm and found John-
i^on, and the two started to talk
about Ashley’s laiid, and planting
tobacco. The upshot was that after
a conference of a couple of days at
Southern Pines where Ashley w^
staying Johnson started to plant to-
oacco on the land, and to develop
the big tract. But Johnson had over
loaded himself with tasks and he
c^uld not carry the thing through.
Then came into the game Banks
launders. Saun/flers had 4i>ine to
Raeford with Johnson, and a mighty
good lieutenant he made Johnson.
When Johnson stepped from under
the load Saunders took it up, and the
result was thati he made Ashley
Heights a fact, and from that be
ginning has come an almoet contin-
(Please turn to pag« 3)
from two and one-half to three
pounds of good fertilizer per square
yard.
Aboi?'v one large spoon heaping*
full of seed and mixed with a little
feitilizer or dry sand, is the best
way :o sow them.
After the seed is sown, the beds
should be tramped good and firm.
A small amount of nitrate of soda
may b^^ applied after the plant is
'the size of a dime, but should be
washed off unless it should rain
soon. From three to five pounds is
a plenty for a 100 yard bed. Fine
stable or chicken manure is also
good for young plants. Ground
limestone applied on the beds at the
rate of one to two pounds per yard
is advisable, and should be sown
with the fertilizer and well mixed
in the ground.
If the flea beetle (or flies) should
get in the beds and begin eating
the young plants, sow cotton seed
meal on them until the plant is yel
low with it. This seems to drive
them away.
Preparation of SoiL
A gojod type of soil is very essen-
The Sandhills Also Raises Corn.
(Continued on Page Three.)